A Memo from Santa Claus

TO: Mom & Dad

FROM: Santa

SUBJECT: Helpful Tips for Assembling Playsets

Thank you so much for offering to help out this year. It’s always a hectic night, so parents like you who volunteer to assemble playsets for the little ones are a big help to me and the elves.

Once you placed your order, my friends at Teamson will be sending the playsets to you ahead of time, and I wanted to pass along some helpful tips from the elves in my workshop who have plenty of experience putting these playsets together.

1) As soon as you can - take a look at the directions. Don’t get overwhelmed - just understand that with many sections, it may take a little longer than you thought. I know you can do it.

2) Gather up the tools you may need — nothing out of the ordinary: a flathead screwdriver and a crosshead screwdriver. You may also want to have a drill on standby - just remember to take it slow and easy.

3) Set any accessories aside - the Missus wanted me to suggest wrapping those up as a separate gift so they’re out of the way.

4) A tip from Skippy, head of Quality Assurance here at the North Pole: Take a moment and separate all the hardware and organize it so that it’s helpful for you. Some elves separate by the type of screws, and some do it for each step in the directions. (For example, Step #1 calls for (4) of the 0.35" screws and (1) of the brackets to close the door. Put those in a sandwich bag and label it “Step #1”.)

5) A fun tip: How are you presenting this gift? Are you setting it up in the playroom as a surprise? Are you putting a big bow on top and setting it by the tree? I know you parents are creative and you know your kiddos. And there are a million videos out there of parents who came up with some crazy ideas you could “borrow”.

6) Hiding the evidence - make sure you have a place to stash the boxes and packing materials from the playsets. If your little ones discover the packaging, just be honest: “Santa asked if we could put this together for you. He has so many stops to make on Christmas Eve and we wanted to help him out.”

Thank you so much for your all help and I hope things go smoothly.

- Santa

PS: The Reindeer wanted me to say thanks for the snacks that you left out for them.